Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Woman cried rape to escape driving ban after crashing boyfriend's car

A woman pretended she was the victim of a double rape to escape a driving ban, a court heard.

Sarah Hunter, 30, told police she was dragged from her boyfriend’s car and raped in an alley by two men.

Two specialist officers spent seven hours interviewing her, while forensic teams performed a fingertip search of the area where she said she was attacked.

But Hunter finally admitted she made up the allegation because she was scared of being prosecuted for crashing her boyfriend’s car, which she was not insured to drive.

Her lies wasted 15 hours of police time and left a community distraught at the prospect that two rapists were at large, Coventry Magistrates’ Court heard on Friday.

Hunter, a mother of two, admitted causing wasteful employment of police time - which carries a maximum six-month prison sentence - as well as using a vehicle without insurance and failing to stop after an accident.

The court heard she took her boyfriend’s Vauxhall Astra on April 28, uninsured and without his permission.

Shortly after 3am, she crashed into two parked vehicles in Canley, Coventry, causing £5,000 of damage to the Vauxhall Astra and a Mazda.

But instead of owning up to the accident, Hunter went to a house and told residents she had been dragged from the car before being raped in an alley.

When police and paramedics arrived, she ‘hysterically’ told them the same sob story, the court heard.

Prosecutor Katie Baker told the court: ‘The defendant was noted as being extremely upset and hysterical. She told them she had gone from her mum’s house to the car to get cigarettes when two men approached her and demanded that she get into the vehicle.

‘She described how she was dragged from the car and raped in an alleyway.

‘She said she was dragged back into the vehicle where the collision took place. She said the men ran away and left her.’

The court heard residents living nearby were shocked and disturbed by reports of the rape, amid fears the attackers were still at large.

Miss Baker said: ‘The defendant said she was sorry for her actions and to the officers who dealt with her case.

‘A great deal of time, money and effort was spent. It had a big effect on the community and this has a knock-on effect on victims of genuine rape.’

Last night, Hunter’s own sister condemned her for crying rape.

Annette Perkins, 36, said: ‘Sarah told me that she’d been raped and I was really gutted for her. I couldn’t believe it.

‘She was crying so much and she was hysterical. Now that I know the truth I’m very shocked. I can’t believe she lied so much about something so appalling. For me that’s just wrong.’

Hunter refused to comment at her new-build townhouse in the suburb of Hartshill in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

Neighbours said she rarely left the house, apart from visiting her boyfriend, known as Dot.

One woman in her 30s, who did not want to be named, said: ‘It’s disgusting what she tried to do. For her to cry rape in an attempt to slime her way out of a motoring charge is appalling.’

Hunter will be sentenced at the end of the month.

[FRS COMMENT] - That unidentified woman at the end of the story said it all. Too bad, like most, she doesn't want to be named. She knows what kind of storm she would call down, by those in the 'victim' industry, if her name was published.